


it's been a long time coming

by impulserun



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Idols, Epistolary, Gen, Multi, Social Media
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25419964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impulserun/pseuds/impulserun
Summary: [shocked pikachu meme]@l0stturtleduckanyone used to follow fn ent here? does anyone rmb zuko? [1/?]❤ 97 9:42 AM - December 29, 201959 people are talking about this------The AU in which the 4 nations are entertainment companies and everyone is an idol.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 116
Kudos: 239





	1. A Thread About Zuko

**Author's Note:**

> My brain inflicted this on me and then I couldn't stop thinking about it. This au is largely inspired by my own experiences as a ~~recovering~~ kpop fan through the early to mid 2010's. 
> 
> As of the time I'm uploading this fic, no pairings are tagged! I'll tag the relevant pairings as we progress through the fic. 
> 
> (shout-out to [vee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamslytherlocked/pseuds/iamslytherlocked) for being my planning buddy!!)

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

anyone used to follow fn ent here? does anyone rmb zuko? [1/?]

❤ 97 9:42 AM - December 29, 2019

59 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

this would have been... wow almost three years ago now holy shit i’m old????? anw. he was like, the biggest upcoming idol back then. fn pumped a lot of money into him, he knew how to play a gazillion instruments, and he was THE son of phoenix king ozai [2/?]

❤ 54 9:42 AM - December 29, 2019

35 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

he was SO big that he used to fight for the top ranking on music charts with jet. das right, freedom fighters jet. i rmb rushing home on fridays to catch mubank b/c zuko and the freedom fighters wld be duking it out for the trophy. good times... [3/?]

❤ 90 9:43 AM - December 29, 2019

45 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

ok tbh zuko wasn’t always great. idk if this was him or the company but he almost never had fan events. he rarely appeared on variety shows, didn’t talk to fans, etc. the company ran his social media accounts. in general he used to come off as quite stand-offish? [4/?]

❤ 11 9:43 AM - December 29, 2019

22 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

but he sang like an angel and was polite to music programme mcs and idk he always seemed pretty genuine to me?? i got to watch a fn nation concert once and he smiled and waved at me when he saw my fansign #goals [5/?]

❤ 15 1:44 AM - December 29, 2019

31 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

so ANW three (3) years ago, zuko mysteriously vanished not long after his sister azula made her debut. he had a big comeback scheduled — cancelled. didn't appear at fn nation — azula took his performance slots. it was like he just went poof. [6/?]

❤ 7 1:44 AM - December 29, 2019

23 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

zuko just. completely disappeared. fn mgmt wldn't say anything, we had no way of reaching out to him, even his manager was missing. (another thing about zuko: his manager was the friendliest old guy. he wld give hot tea to fans and chat with us in the queue. i miss him) [7/?]

❤ 70 1:45 AM - December 29, 2019

47 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

and then, like, maybe 2 or 3 months after he first disappeared, the most shocking news came out. zuko was suing fn ent. his own father's company. [8/?]

❤ 93 1:46 AM - December 29, 2019

45 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

i don't really want to talk about it here. running a google search will show you all the articles from that time. the media was just. completely brutal with him. "dog that bites the hand which feeds it" and all that. [9/?]

❤ 93 1:46 AM - December 29, 2019

45 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

haha i still rmb my fave fansite's admin got bullied off social media by azula stans. great times. [10/?]

❤ 6 1:46 AM - December 29, 2019

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

so anw zuko was embroiled in a long legal battle with his own father's company for months. and... yeah, sparks (that was our fandom name lmao) had completely no clue what was going on, b/c all the big media outlets sided with fn obviously [11/?]

❤ 3 1:47 AM - December 29, 2019

6 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

eventually the case went to court and (idk the specifics here b/c lmao law) zuko won the case. that's not the thing tho. the thing is that this was the first time we got to see zuko since he mysteriously disappeared.  
there was a giant burn scar on his face. [12/?]

❤ 73 1:47 AM - December 29, 2019

32 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

you guys don't know what it was like. even from the photographs... it was bad. [13/?]

❤ 42 1:48 AM - December 29, 2019

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

officially, the scar was caused by a stage pyrotechnics accident while he was rehearsing for fn nation. was it really though? because, after all the details about the lawsuit came out... man. [14/?]

❤ 87 1:48 AM - December 29, 2019

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

i mean it's been 3 years and just thinking about it has me ready to fly down to fn ent hq to commit arson so [breathes heavily] [15/?]

❤ 152 1:48 AM - December 29, 2019

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

all of the money that he earned? that his concerts and albums were bringing in? zuko didn't see a single fucking cent of it. it all went to fn. ALL of it. AND THAT WASN'T EVEN THE WORST PART I JUST [16/?]

❤ 214 1:49 AM - December 29, 2019

54 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

he had absolutely no time for himself. every waking hour of the day, he was training, or in the recording studio, or learning a new dance routine, and he had been doing this since he was FUCKING SEVEN YEARS OLD [17/?]

❤ 89 1:49 AM - December 29, 2019

24 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

HE WAS LITERALLY WORKING EVERY SECOND OF THE DAY THAT HE WASN'T ASLEEP. SINCE HE WAS SEVEN. [18/?]

❤ 91 1:49 AM - December 29, 2019

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

and ok idk how accurate this is b/c it came from an unconfirmed source but. he was diagnosed with anxiety, high blood pressure, an unspecified kidney illness(?) and, again, THAT FUCKING BURN SCAR [19/?]

❤ 9 1:50 AM - December 29, 2019

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

and. god. i think of the pain he must have gone through, and i think of the boy who saw my shitty fansign and smiled at me so brightly. he didn't deserve to experience what he did. no one deserves that shit. [20/?]

❤ 424 1:50 AM - December 29, 2019

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

the worst part is that his own fucking father did this to him. fucking phoenix king ozai, ceo of fn ent. how fucked up is that? [21/?]

❤ 42 1:50 AM - December 29, 2019

13 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

oh man this got depressing real fast aduiejf i'm sorry guys i'm just an old fandom unnie ranting at clouds today  
but uh, after the lawsuit zuko got out of his contract with fn and he disappeared again. no one has heard from him since. [22/?]

❤ 23 1:51 AM - December 29, 2019

9 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

i just hope that, wherever he is, zuko is happy and healthy, yknow? he of all people deserves that.  
and, uh, idk if you're out there reading this, but your sparks are still here and we're all proud of you no matter what you decide to do with your life [23/?]

❤ 59 1:52 AM - December 29, 2019

3 people are talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

uh tl;dr fuck fn ent they ill-treat their idols and don't deserve your money  
also zuko deserves better #protectzuko2k5eva [24/24]

❤ 587 1:53 AM - December 29, 2019

27 people are talking about this

  


SparksINT(fire emoji)(fire emoji)  
@zukozone

unnie are you DRUNK

[shocked pikachu meme] @l0stturtleduck

oh man this got depressing real fast aduiejf i'm sorry guys i'm just an old fandom unnie ranting at clouds today  
but uh, after the lawsuit zuko got out of his contract with fn and he disappeared again. no one has heard from him since. [22/?]

❤ 0 1:52 AM - December 29, 2019

1 person is talking about this

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @zukozone

perhaps

❤ 0 1:53 AM - December 29, 2019

  


tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

turtleduck unnie be like

❤ 34 1:55 AM - December 29, 2019

2 people are talking about this

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used [gadaursan's work skin tutorials](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623022) and [AO3TweetBuilder](https://ktddaeng.github.io/AO3TweetBuilder/) to put together the tweets! 
> 
> The fire vector in @zukozone's dp is made by [Freepik](https://www.flaticon.com/authors/freepik) from [ www.flaticon.com](https://www.flaticon.com/).


	2. A Brief Aside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: slight internalised ableism ahead.

← Chats (1)   
  
Sokka (Wolf Face )   
hey, u awake?  
05:31  
  
Yeah.  
05:31  
  
Sokka (Wolf Face )   
of course ur awake. holy shit zuko don’t u ever sleep??  
05:31  
I went to bed last night and woke up, like a normal person.  
05:31  
  
What are //you// doing awake? Is something wrong?  
05:31  
  
Sokka (Wolf Face )  
up late for gayo daejun rehearsals and then I cldn’t fall asleep (Loudly Crying Face )  
05:31  
Sokka (Wolf Face )  
can i come over?  
05:31

*

Zuko groans. “Has my uncle been talking to you?”

“Noooo,” Sokka drawls, voice so dry that it’s beginning to suck the moisture from the room. “Why would you think that?”

An explosive sigh escapes his lips as he crosses the room to not-so-dramatically fling himself down onto the sofa. “I’m not coming back, Sokka.”

“Why not?”

“I’m happy where I am right now.”

And he is! He really is. He gets to go to class, and when he goes to work he gets to hang out with Lu Ten all day, and he gets to have _an actual family_ when Uncle is home for dinner. He’s happy with his life right now, and even if he weren’t, at least he can call himself content. That’s more than he can say about his old life.

Besides, he can’t hear as well out of his left ear anymore, and his vision isn’t as good as it used to be, to say nothing of his depth perception. He can’t be the old Zuko. He can never perform on stage again.

Like anyone would support an idol with his face, anyway.

“Zuko, it’s a Twitter account. Getting caught up with modern technology does not mean that you’re committing to a comeback,” Sokka points out. “You’re just… putting yourself out there. Giving your fans a way to reach out and see what’s going on in your life.”

“I don’t have _fans_ ,” Zuko scoffs. Not anymore. He’d never been _that_ well-liked anyway, even at the height of his popularity.

“… Leaving that absolutely _ridiculous_ falsehood aside, I mean it,” Sokka frowns. “There was this one girl one or two days ago who suddenly started drunk-tweeting about you at, like, two in the morning. People miss you! They just want to know that you’re okay, that you’re still alive. That sort of thing.”

“… Sokka, why do you know that someone was tweeting about me at two in the morning?”

“Oh, uh, no particular reason.” Sokka grins at him, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, and oh, right, music festival season. Of course Sokka would’ve been awake. Zuko remembers those miserable sleep-deprived days of his existence all too well. “Look, I’m not saying you have to do anything right away. Just promise me you’ll think about it?”

Zuko chances another glance at him, and the look on his face is so unbelievably earnest that he can’t help but relent. “Alright, fine. I’ll think about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used [M1das's tutorial](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21038993) for the Kakaotalk messages. The options bar vector is by [Freepik](https://www.flaticon.com/authors/freepik) from [ www.flaticon.com](https://www.flaticon.com/)
> 
> For a larger version of Sokka’s dp, see [here](https://i.imgur.com/ihKIz4p.png).
> 
> I realised that not everyone had a kpop phase so, "glossary" of terms here:
> 
> Unnie/"eonni" (언니) is a term for older sister, used if you're also female, but Koreans also use this word to refer to older women that they're not related to. Some of the fan accounts I used to follow would use "unnie" to refer to other fans or admins of other fansites. There's a more detailed explanation here: [[link]](https://www.90daykorean.com/oppa-hyung-noona-unnie/).
> 
> The "Gayo Daejun" (가요대전) is a large scale end of year music festival held by a broadcasting network/station. Each of the Big Three stations (KBS/SBS/MBC) has their own festival. I realised after googling that each festival actually has a different name, but I think people usually refer to them all as "(station name) gayo daejun" for ease of reference? Idk if this changed since I was last active in kpop fandom.
> 
> **EDIT (30/7/2020)**  
>  I was doing some work skin tweaking, and somehow that messed up the formatting of two of the messages in this page. I'm trying to fix it but I'm baffled. Please put up with the weird formatting for now!
> 
> **EDIT (5/9/2020)**  
>  I have conquered the KKT css! That is to say, I rewrote it entirely and it now no longer resembles Kakaotalk. I took some elements from [gadaursan's tutorials](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8631214).


	3. Chapter 3

SATOSEARCH

zuko fn

zuko fn **entertainment**  
zuko fn **entertainment lawsuit**  
zuko fn **entertainment ozai son**  
zuko fn **entertainment azula**  
zuko fn **nation concert**

*

SATOSEARCH

zuko fn entertainment lawsuit

About 13,800 results (0.43 seconds)

*

Zuko Higuchi – Wikipedia   
en.wikipedia.org > wiki > Zuko_Higuchi  
Jump to **Lawsuit** and leaving **FN Entertainment** – On 21 December 2016, Higuchi filed a **lawsuit** against FNE to terminate his contract. The Central District Court ruled in favour of …  
Career · Controversies · Discography · Filmography

Zuko wins lawsuit over FN Entertainment | IdolNews  
www.idolnews.net > article > 2017/11 > zuko-wins…  
7 November 2017 – **Zuko** had filed a **lawsuit** against **FN Entertainment** in December of 2016. Meanwhile, an FN Entertainment representative stated … 

Details of Zuko’s case revealed | Republic DISPATCH  
www.repubdispatch.com > article > 2017/02 > details-of-zukos…  
16 February 2017 – It was previously reported that **Zuko** filed a **lawsuit** against **FN Entertainment** in order to void his contract with the firm. The written accusation … 

FN Entertainment officials say they would welcome Zuko back | IdolCityBeat  
www.idolcitybeat.com > article > 2018/01 > fn-entertainment-welcome…  
10 January 2018 – Amidst controversies surrounding the once-popular **Zuko** Higuchi, his agency, **FN Entertainment** , has revealed that they would still take him back if he decides to return to the entertainment industry. A representative of the agency … 

Azula speaks up about Zuko | Republic DISPATCH  
www.repubdispatch.com > article > 2017/01> azula-speaks-up  
12 January 2017 – The leader of FEON1X was recently asked about her current relationship with her brother, **Zuko** , who is currently embroiled in a **lawsuit** … under **FN Entertainment** , the company founded by their father … 

*

f(r)ight night  
@smellersh0tstan

sorry i don't want to be a bother but i'm new and i wanted to read up more about the lawsuit, does anyone have links to a neutral/nonbiased article? satosearch isn't being helpful today :( #zuko #fnent #fnentertainment

[shocked pikachu meme] @l0stturtleduck

and then, like, maybe 2 or 3 months after he first disappeared, the most shocking news came out. zuko was suing fn ent. his own father's company. [8/?]

❤ 43 12:24 PM - December 31, 2019

25 people are talking about this

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @smellersh0tstan

hey! what do you want to know? i have a few old links to some articles that i’m pretty sure still work, i can dm them to you 

❤ 0 1:02 PM - December 31, 2019

f(r)ight night  
@smellersh0tstan

replying to  @fr33d0mf1ght3r_

oh! thank you!! I just wanted to know if there were any statements from zuko himself or his representative/lawyer?? I'm finding a lot of statements from fn but nth from zuko’s side of the story 

❤ 12 1:09 PM - December 31, 2019

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @smellersh0tstan

oh. uh.  
you’re shit out of luck there buddy. #sorry

❤ 0 1:10 PM - December 31, 2019

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @smellersh0tstan

on a more serious note, zuko never actually did come out and give an official statement beyond what was needed for the lawsuit. if you look at his wiki page, the sources that are listed there are the most reliable ones? sorry i cldn’t be of more help :(

❤ 0 1:10 PM - December 31, 2019

  


For (Crown)Azula(Crown) & Sunspots  
@FNPrincessAzula

if zuko had anything worth saying he wld alr have defended himself. the fact that he didn’t is shady and manipulative. he betrayed his family and for what? just to start drama? if they did have family issues they would have resolved it themselves. he just wanted attention.

tiny gremlin queen @fr33d0mf1ght3r_

on a more serious note, zuko never actually did come out and give an official statement beyond what was needed for the lawsuit. if you look at his wiki page, the sources that are listed there are the most reliable ones? sorry i cldn’t be of more help :(

❤ 2.3K 1:11 PM - December 31, 2019

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @FNPrincessAzula

oh great. you.

❤ 5K 1:12 PM - December 31, 2019

For (Crown)Azula(Crown) & Sunspots  
@FNPrincessAzula

replying to  @fr33d0mf1ght3r_

am i wrong? what zuko did was selfish. he tore apart his family and dragged his father’s company through the mud. he’s disloyal and a traitor. 

❤ 3.4K 1:13 PM - December 31, 2019

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @FNPrincessAzula

look, i was minding my own business and it’s not like i insulted your precious azula unnie, why do you keep trying to start shit with me all the time???

❤ 401 1:12 PM - December 31, 2019

  


(Hocho ≊ Kitchen Knife) || og mai stan  
@itsgonnabemai

unpopular opinion but can zuko stans shut the fuck up about the lawsuit 

❤ 5.7K 1:17 PM - December 31, 2019

(Hocho ≊ Kitchen Knife) || og mai stan  
@itsgonnabemai

replying to  @itsgonnabemai

he’s irrelevant?? literally he hasn’t said or done shit since he disappeared off the face of the earth, i don’t see why y’all still obsessed with him when other more talented idols are around 

❤ 3.1K 1:17 PM - December 31, 2019

For (Crown)Azula(Crown) & Sunspots  
@FNPrincessAzula

replying to  @itsgonnabemai

if they don’t bring him up then their oppar can’t stay relevant even though everyone has been over him years ago

❤ 5.4K 1:17 PM - December 31, 2019

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

bold words from someone stanning a band who essentially promotes the same song every time they come back

(Hocho ≊ Kitchen Knife) || og mai stan @itsgonnabemai

he’s irrelevant?? literally he hasn’t said or done shit since he disappeared off the face of the earth, i don’t see why y’all still obsessed with him when other more talented idols are around

❤ 12.7K 1:26 PM - December 31, 2019

  


[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

i... i was gone for two days...

❤ 54 2:31 PM - December 31, 2019

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

what the FUCK happened while i was gone???????????

❤ 5 2:31 PM - December 31, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 'Satosearch' search bar uses the code for Naver found here: [[link]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8631214/chapters/53486839). I wrote the css for the search results myself after some trial and error. I can post it elsewhere if anyone is interested!
> 
> Shout out to vee for feeding me most of the tweets about fandom drama. It has been literal years since I saw a brawl go down on kpop twitter and my slang/lingo is no longer hip to the latest trends. HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS.


	4. Chapter 4

SparksINT(fire emoji)(fire emoji)  
@zukozone

New Year, new us! Let’s leave all our conflicts behind in 2019. You know Zuko wouldn’t want us to fight with other fanbases in his name, right?

❤ 6.8K 9:57 AM - January 1, 2020

  


tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

called out oof

SparksINT(fire emoji)(fire emoji) @zukozone

New Year, new us! Let’s leave all our conflicts behind in 2019. You know Zuko wouldn’t want us to fight with other fanbases in his name, right?

❤ 6 10:01 AM - January 1, 2020

SparksINT(fire emoji)(fire emoji)  
@zukozone

replying to  @fr33d0mf1ght3r_

I’m not mad, just disappointed. 

❤ 2 10:01 AM - January 1, 2020

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @zukozone

NOOOOOOOO (Loudly Crying Face )(Loudly Crying Face )

❤ 5 10:03 AM - January 1, 2020

*

← Chats (1)   
  
Hey good job on your performance! You and Katara both did great!   
23:21  
  
Aaaaand you’re probably crashing backstage. Sorry! Get some rest!!  
23:21  
  
  
**1 January 2020**  
Happy new year!  
00:00  
  
Sokka (Wolf Face )   
same to you!!! JgjruigjFEfwrdegghi IT’S FINALLY OVER I’M SO TIRED   
01:32  
  
Sokka (Wolf Face )   
dude. call me when you see this, your fans literally started a war on twitter for u yesterday  
14:31  
  


*

“What did you need me to call you for? We were going to see each other at Aang’s party anyway.”

“Zuko, I know you hate social media, but I need you do me a favour just this once, alright? Open up your browser and go to Twitter. I’m going to give you a few usernames to look up.”

“And this couldn’t wait for the party because…?”

“I know you don’t like to have people around when you’re emotionally vulnerable. But I also know that if I just text you the links you’re never going to look at them, hence the call. Hurry up and go to Twitter already.”

“Okay, okay, I’m going.”

*

Oh.

*

He’s still feeling unsteady when the time to leave for Aang’s party finally rolls around. In fact, most of the commute passes by in a haze.

The vitriol—especially from the Sunspots—he had expected. He’d gotten enough of it during his time with FN, and even now that he’s a civilian he’s grown used to expecting people to flinch away when they catch sight of his face. But the fact that he still has _fans_ , that there are people out there actively defending him online…. That’s going to take some time to get used to.

All too soon he finds himself face to face with Aang’s door. He has to steel himself before he reaches out to press the doorbell. It’s not Aang who answers the door, though. It’s Sokka.

“Zuko!” he beams. “Hey, buddy. You made it.”

_You okay?_ His eyes seem to ask.

“I brought iced tea,” Zuko tells him, raising the cooler in his hands in lieu of actually answering his unspoken question. “Uncle’s recipe. In case anyone doesn’t want, um. To drink.”

“Oh, cool!” Sokka perks up. “Yeah, good idea, we definitely forgot about non-alcoholic drinks. Aang’s fridge only has water. I don’t know how we keep forgetting that.” He pauses, then adds, “Toph will probably use it to make cocktails, though.”

“As long as it doesn’t go to waste.” (It’s fine. Uncle doesn’t need to know.)

“But really,” Sokka turns to ask, as Zuko follows him to the living room, “are you okay? If you need to be alone for a bit, Aang will be more than happy to let you use one of the bedrooms.”

“Seriously, Sokka, I’m fine.”

And then he turns the corner into the apartment proper and wonders if perhaps he should take Aang up on his offer after all.

There are… a lot of people here. Maybe it’s just the relatively tiny size of the cramped apartment, but he has no idea how Aang managed to fit this many people into his room, let alone make this many connections (knowing Aang, they’re probably even his _friends_ ) in the short two years he’s been active in the industry. But his core friend group has taken up the squishiest, most comfortable sofa in the corner of the room; Zuko picks his way over to them gratefully after depositing his cooler on the drinks table, following closely in Sokka’s footsteps.

“Zuko is here!” Sokka announces, plopping himself down and unceremoniously inching his sister out of the way with his butt—he’s left space for Zuko to sit on his right, right next to the armrest. “And he brought iced tea!”

Toph glances up from her red plastic cup, lounging lazily across Aang’s battered armchair. “You make it yourself?”

“Uncle’s recipe.”

“Sweet.”

A chorus of greetings go up around the sofa. Katara waves at him with a welcoming smile from the other end of the sofa. Suki’s not here, which he expected, even if he’s a little disappointed by her absence. BSS is stricter with their artistes than most industry outsiders expect. 

“No Appa today?” he asks, turning to Aang.

“He still gets anxious around crowds,” Aang says, from his perch on the armrest. “He has free reign of my bedroom today. The door’s not closed all the way, so he can come out if he wants… but he’ll probably stay in there until everyone leaves.”

Zuko can relate. Maybe he’ll pop in later to say hello.

“So!” Sokka claps once, loudly. “What are we talking about?”

“Aang’s still not over his tragic _King of Mask Singer_ debut,” says Katara, hiding a teasing smirk with the rim of her glass.

“What’s that? A variety show?”

Silence falls. The way his friends’ heads swivel in tandem towards him would be funny if not for the fact that _he’s_ the one they’re staring at.

“Seriously, dude?” asks Sokka, still gaping. “I know for a fact you were still active when that show started airing—”

“I didn’t… really have time for TV. Or anything, really.” He smiles reassuringly—or, at least, he tries to. Zuko is pretty sure that it came out as a twisted grimace. “Give me the SparkNotes edition?”

“It’s this music show that I went on in July last year, but I didn’t even make it past the first round.” Aang sighs theatrically, flinging himself across the backrest. The orange cushion he lands on deflates with a sad splat. “If I had been matched up with anyone else….”

“He got his ass handed to him,” Toph summarises succinctly. She punctuates this observation with a not-so-quiet slurp. “Face it Twinkle Toes, you’re more of an actor and dancer than a singer,” she continues, not unkindly. “There was no way you were going to beat [Kyuhyun- _sunbae_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC6mGJ-w1Q8)in a straight fight.”

“But never mind _that_!” Aang exclaims, turning to Zuko with an overdramatic pout. “I can’t believe you didn’t watch me. I practiced really hard!”

“I don’t really watch much TV in general,” Zuko shrugs with an apologetic smile. Before, he’d been busy with training, and now… it just doesn’t appeal to him much anymore. “But you can tell me more if you want—I don’t mind listening.”

“Okay, so it’s this variety show where you have to wear a mask and sing, and you battle against these other people in an elimination-style tournament…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re. Aang's tragic _KOMS_ debut: In July 2019, a newscaster called Heo Il-hoo went up against Kyuhyun, a lead vocalist from the boyband Super Junior, and lost in the first round. Aang takes his place in this AU. 
> 
> **Glossary:**  
>  _Sunbae/Seonbae_ (선배) refers to a person who is older or has more experience than the speaker, eg. at work or at school. Used as an honorific.


	5. Chapter 5

← Chats   
  
Uncle? Are you in a meeting? Can we talk?  
10:32  
  


*

“I—I think I’m ready.”


	6. The Blue Spirit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own MBC Entertainment or any of its programs/shows, nor am I affiliated to them in anyway. I'm only borrowing its name (and logo, and variety show, and its youtube account...) for the purposes of this fic. Please don't sue me.

“If this goes badly, I’m going to have to move to the countryside and become a farmer. I hope you’ll come visit me. Maybe I can grow tea—that’ll save Uncle a few bucks.”

Sokka huffs out a laugh. “It’s not going to be _that_ bad, Zuko. Besides, I don’t think the climate here is right for tea.”

“I’ll go to the mountains and harvest wild ginseng then,” he decides. “Or to the sea. I’ll be a fisherman or—or I’ll harvest kelp.”

“ _Zuko_.” A pause, then, “Katara says good luck, and Toph says even if you only win once you’ll still do better than Aang.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will,” Sokka says warmly, and ends the call.

Presently someone knocks once, smartly, on the dressing room door, then Jee is sticking his head in with a polite nod. “It’s almost time. Get that mask of yours on.”

Zuko finds himself missing his uncle something fierce, even as he nods at Jee and accepts his mask from the stylist. His new manager is nice enough, if a bit no-nonsense and stern, but he could really use his uncle’s reassuring words and a cup of ginger-ginseng tea right about now.

Taking a deep breath, he puts the mask on. 

*

[KOMS] Blue Spirit vs Dragon Emperor – Lovesick (사랑앓이) [20200223]  
18k views · 2 hours ago  
MBCentertainment✔

*

xXDukeItOutXx · 1 hour ago  
dragon emperor whomst i only hear the blue spirit  
Likes: 12.5K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 34  


Alix Lee · 1 hour ago  
This was such an amazing cover of Lovesick! I can’t wait to see what the Blue Spirit sings for his first solo stage!  
Likes: 6.5K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 13  


Casey Kim · 1 hour ago  
RIP to the dragon emperor but the blue spirit wrecked him  
Likes: 4.5K Dislikes: 407 Replies: 3  


Li Kexin · 1 hour ago  
Maybe it’s just b/c I’m old but somehow the Blue Spirit’s voice makes me feel really nostalgic? It reminds me of being a teenager again for some reason  
Likes: 3K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 9  


Jung Songhwa · 1 hour ago  
Context for the rest of you who aren’t theatre nerds before you ask why the masks are Like That: the Blue Spirit and Dragon Emperor are characters (adversaries) from this super old play called Love Amongst the Dragons. It’s funny b/c Ikem (Dragon Emperor for y’all who didn’t watch his unmasking vid) is a musical actor and he actually played the Dragon Emperor for his first lead role  
No one else found that funny? Just me? Ok then  
Likes: 453 Dislikes: 79 Replies: 0  


*

(Hocho ≊ Kitchen Knife) || og mai stan  
@itsgonnabemai

idk who the blue spirit is but his voice fucking slaps #koms

❤ 9.7K 7:47 PM – February 24, 2020

*

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

ZUKO?????

❤ 3.7K 7:54 PM - February 24, 2020

*

← Chats (4)  
  
**21 December 2016**  
I saw the news about the lawsuit. Are you okay?  
16:26  
I know we’re not that close, but I’m here if you need someone to talk to.  
16:26  
**7 November 2017**  
Hey, I saw the news. Congratulations!  
18:12  
**24 February 2020**  
Hey, uh, I know we haven’t spoken in a while, but I just had to know.  
00:26  
  
Are you by any chance… the Blue Spirit?  
00:26  
  
Zuko (FN)  
new phone who dis  
07:32  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder who the person texting Zuko could be. :3c
> 
> I wrote the CSS for the YouTube stuff myself. It's a little messy, but if anyone is interested I can clean it up and share it. 
> 
> Also, I never want to draw those masks again. Sorry but any subsequent appearance of the Blue Spirit in YT thumbnails is just going to be a copy+paste of this art. 
> 
> **Glossary**  
> [Lovesick](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO6LT0FQWfg) is a song by FT Island. I personally think it's sung better live, so the link I've included is to a live performance of the song. The hangul '사랑앓이' is just the original Korean title. I think it's romanised as 'Sarang-alhi'? I may be wrong. Please feel free to correct me!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic is a pain in the butt b/c on the word doc where i keep a copy of all my coding the word count is like 12k but on ao3 it's only 4k :(
> 
> Also, if you were reading the fic on 11 August and the formatting suddenly went woozy... I accidentally deleted half of the workskin while I was updating it. I restored it as soon as I noticed but if anyone catches anything weird (apart from the weird formatting of the kakaotalk messages b/c that continues to elude me) please let me know so i can fix it!

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

i can’t believe u guys wld doubt me like this

❤ 43 12:03AM - February 25, 2020

*

Myeolchi98 · 3 hours ago  
listen, there is no way the blue spirit is anyone older than a 3rd gen idol okay  
he sounds so young  
like a baby  
Likes: 2.5K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 42  


Jung Songhwa · 3 hours ago  
But do we know for sure that the Blue Spirit is male? What if they’re a voice actor and they’re just singing in a guy voice?  
Likes: 504 Dislikes: 42 Replies: 23  


xXDukeItOutXx · 2 hours ago  
I’m all for gender equality and women empowerment but if the blue spirit is a woman I’ll eat my hat  
Likes: 44 Dislikes: 2 Replies: 0  


*

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

guys I am literally TELLING you that the #bluespirit is zuko what will it take for y’all to believe me

❤ 50 12:03AM - February 25, 2020

  


For (Crown)Azula (Crown) & Sunspots  
@FNPrincessAzula

this is so sad, she’s so desperate for her oppar to be relevant that she’s delulu

[shocked pikachu meme] @l0stturtleduck

guys I am literally TELLING you that the #bluespirit is zuko what will it take for y’all to believe me 

❤ 2.3K 10:02 AM – February 25, 2019

  


[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

@zukozone you believe me right 

❤ 2 1:32PM - February 25, 2020

SparksINT(fire emoji)(fire emoji)  
@zukozone

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

It’s true that he sounds a lot like Zuko, but it’s difficult to tell from just this one song alone…. 

❤ 1 2:01 PM - February 25, 2020

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @zukozone

betrayed by my sworn sister in mine own hour of need

❤ 3 2:12PM - February 25, 2020

*

“This is _gold_ ,” Sokka says gleefully. “Nobody knows it’s you.”

“Really?” Zuko asks, and the news kind of… hurts, a little. “Not a single person recognised me?”

“Well, not exactly. Some of your older fans recognise your voice and vocal techniques. Quote, he did that belty thing, unquote.” He scrolls downwards and stops suddenly, scowling. “Okay, wow, _rude_. Way to be a dick, much?”

“What? What did they say?”

“Nope! Nuh-uh, not telling you,” Sokka shakes his head, and even goes as far as to lean away, phone in one outstretched hand, when Zuko tries to read over his shoulder. 

“Send it to me Snoozles,” Toph pipes up, sticking an earbud into her ear. “I need to know what I’ll be beating up these kids for.”

“ _No_ ,” Katara interjects. “ _No,_ Toph, no beating up kids on the internet.”

“I’m gonna and you can’t stop me.”

“No!”

Zuko’s not entirely sure _why_ they decided to gather in his apartment to watch his episode of _King of Mask Singer_ (apparently it is Aang’s idea; he’s still sore over the fact that Zuko unknowingly missed his episode and doesn’t want him to go through the same agony), but here they are, crowded onto his sofa, the room still faintly smelling of the take-out they’d had for dinner.

Lu Ten is out with his army friends for the night, and his uncle had retired to his bedroom after a very fake, very badly telegraphed yawn and very, very poorly hidden wink. Sure, Iroh has made it his mission to give Zuko the socialisation and other experiences that he’d never had time for when he was younger, but he’s starting to think that this is a little much.

“Never mind them,” Aang interjects, “have you decided what you’re going to sing next?”

“I know the episode hasn’t aired yet, but I’ve already finished recording,” Zuko points out. “You’ll find out once it airs.”

“I know _that_ ,” Aang huffs. “I meant for your next defence stage. What are you going to sing?”

And. Zuko freezes.

“Defence stage?” he squeaks. “What defence stage?”

“Oh, Zuko,” Katara sighs. “You know you can’t lie to us, right? We know _all_ your tells.”

“Yeah, Sparky, you’re kind of a shit liar. I’m blind, and even I know that your poker face sucks.”

“And,” Katara continues, “ _and_ , if you _had_ been kicked off the show, you would’ve told Sokka by now, if not the rest of us.”

“She has you there,” says Sokka. “You _do_ kind of tell me everything.”

Zuko sighs and his shoulders sag in defeat. Damn it. Why did he even bother? “Okay, you got me. I’m still on the show. But,” he continues, “I’ll tell you the same thing that I told Aang, You’ll find out once the episode airs.”

“Aww.” Aang pouts. He bounces back quickly, though. “Then what about what you sang for the second and third rounds?” 

"You’ll find out next week.” 

“Come on, Zuko! Please?” 

“Nope.” 

“Oh well,” Sokka grins, wrapping an arm around his shoulder even as Aang continues to sulk dramatically at the other end of their giant sofa. “It’ll just have to be a surprise then. Congratulations, buddy.” 

Trying very hard not to let his underlying anxiety show, Zuko smiles in turn and lets himself lean ever so slightly into Sokka’s side. 

*

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

live trans of #KOMS here for anyone too excited to wait for subs! i'm waiting for the show to start, will let you know the highlights 

❤ 89 6:14 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

for the record i’m only doing this b/c of the blue spirit. @l0stturtleduck i'm with you i also think that the blue spirit is zuko

❤ 1 6:14 PM - March 1, 2020

  


[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

THANK YOU. 

stream way back to gaipan @jetseyebrows

for the record i’m only doing this b/c of the blue spirit. @l0stturtleduck i'm with you i also think that the blue spirit is zuko

❤ 1 6:16 PM - March 1, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

okay so the usual introduction stuff is out of the way, recap of the contestants from last week’s episode. This week it’s crescent bay vs badgermole, then blue spirit vs pirate ship in round 2

❤ 1 6:49 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

fasujefhiue yoo youngseok begged the designer to design nicer masks, blue spirit and pirate ship are too scary apparently. #weak

❤ 1 6:19 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

I have never heard either of the songs that crescent bay and badgermole sang but the judges and audience looked impressed. anw crescent bay won and she’s moving on to round 3

❤ 0 7:09 PM - March 1, 2020

(Hocho ≊ Kitchen Knife) || og mai stan  
@itsgonnabemai

replying to  @jetseyebrows

what kind of livetweeter are you

❤ 0 7:10 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @itsgonnabemai

one who knows what they want and what they’re here for

❤ 98 7:10 PM - March 1, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

they unmasked badgermole and. i have. no idea who this person is???? ppl seem to recognise her tho  
oh she’s a sports newscaster lmao nvm

❤ 0 7:13 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

OK HERE WE GO BLUE SPIRIT TIME 

❤ 13 7:21 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

HOLY SHIT

❤ 12K 7:21 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

PHOENIX???? FALL OUT BOY??????  
HE REALLY WENT UP THERE AND DID THAT

❤ 13K 7:21 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

they better not vote him out after this idc what pirate ship sings

❤ 2 7:21 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

rip to pirate ship the ballad he prepared (i think it’s a sung sikyung song but i’m not sure) was not enough (Pensive Face )

❤ 3 7:27 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

blue spirit and pirate ship ment time! aka the part where the contestants either impress you with their skills or embarrass the FUCK out of you. no I have not forgiven longshot for what he did in 2018

❤ 0 7:29 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

o pirate ship knows gymnastics??? that’s actually pretty cool

❤ 0 7:31 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

WHO LET THE BLUE SPIRIT HAVE SWORDS

❤ 0 7:35 PM - March 1, 2020

  


(Hocho ≊ Kitchen Knife) || og mai stan  
@itsgonnabemai

the blue spirit knows wushu? hot

❤ 8K 7:36 PM - March 1, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

hh 

❤ 0 7:36 PM - March 1, 2020

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @jetseyebrows

bud are you okay

❤ 0 7:36 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

he’s hitting all my critical weaknesses 

❤ 0 7:36 PM - March 1, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

I’M NOT THAT GOOD HE SAYS 

❤ 0 7:38 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

i am more convinced that the blue spirit is zuko if only b/c of his self-deprecation 

❤ 1 7:38 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

ok so somewhat obviously the blue spirit won, he’s moving on to round 3 to square off against crescent bay 

❤ 1 7:47 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

pirate ship is THAT GUY FROM GAG CONCERT???? FROM THAT SKETCH ABOUT THE SUPERMARKET???? WONG BOK CHYE????? 

❤ 19 7:51 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

CABBAGE GUY???????????

❤ 21 7:51 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

i was today years old when I learned that cabbage guy can sing

❤ 19 7:51 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

aww that’s sweet. cabbage guy said that he hopes the blue spirit wins so that he can say he lost to the masked king 

❤ 9 7:53 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

i’m actually worried about round 3. crescent bay is a pretty good singer?? The odds of blue spirit being unmasked here are actually pretty high. And whoever wins still has to fight the previous king/champion

❤ 0 7:54 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

it wld be cool to find out his identity today but it wld be even cooler if he was crowned once or twice first 

❤ 0 7:54 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

mc: do you want to say anything to snowglobe (the current king)? blue: ah… you’re going down?  
he said this politely. in super formal language. and he apologised afterwards. blue you fucking dweeb.

❤ 53 7:59 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

RIP BLUE CRESCENT BAY IS SINGING A BAEK JIYOUNG SONG  
it’s the iris ost, don’t forget me. hhh I can’t even be mad if she wins she’s really good

❤ 79 8:08 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

oh  
isn’t this the new WAVES single? moonlit?

❤ 0 8:15 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

if y’all still don’t know WAVES, educate yourselves!! they’re a new grp that just debuted under WL ent towards the start of last year. they write most of their own music!! i’m p sure they wrote moonlit too

❤ 7 8:15 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

blue really sang “as sure as the moon shares her light with the sea, i’ll see you again” with his whole chest (Pleading Face) i felt that

❤ 10 8:16 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

this is scary idk who’s gonna win i can’t look

❤ 0 8:23 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

oh my god  
the blue spirit won by LITERALLY 3 VOTES HHHH

❤ 10K 8:27 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

felt a bit of my soul leave my body there 

❤ 0 8:27 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

OH MY GOD CRESCENT BAY IS AMKA FROM NUAQUA GIRLS WHAT THE FUCK

❤ 293  8:34 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

amka I’m so sorry I’m sorry a dumbass like me wld disrespect you like that oh my god

❤ 0 8:34 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

she says she started working as a teacher after nuaqua girls disbanded wtf which class of gremlins is so lucky to have this absolute goddess teach them

❤ 43 8:34 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

SHE’S GETTING MARRIED IN TWO MONTHS GOOD FOR HER

❤ 0 8:35 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

now i’m wondering what happened to the rest of them. yue is in musicals now but what happened to her bandmates?? 

❤ 5 8:35 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

snowglobe is performing now. it is… another ballad. confession time these all sound the same to me idk what she’s singing

❤ 5 8:40 PM - March 1, 2020

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @jetseyebrows

(gasp) you h e a t h e n

❤ 25 8:40 PM - March 1, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

shut

❤ 0 8:41 PM - March 1, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

OH MY GOD HE WON

❤ 5K 8:41 PM - March 1, 2020

*

[KOMS] Blue Spirit – Phoenix [20200301]  
28k views · 3 hours ago  
MBCentertainment✔

*

Casey Kim · 2 hours ago  
fuck  
i guess i’m attracted to men now  
Likes: 16.5K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 78 

Riot183 · 2 hours ago  
Wait you can sing English songs on this show??????????????  
Likes: 3.5K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 8  


Alix Lee · 1 hour ago  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA??????  
Likes: 6.5K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 13  


*

[KOMS] Blue Spirit – Moonlit (달빛) [20200301]  
32k views · 3 hours ago  
MBCentertainment✔

*

AlexWasHere01 · 2 hours ago  
in the two episodes he has been on the show the blue spirit has given us: 1) an amazing cover of lovesick 2) PHOENIX and 3) this stirring ballad cover of moonlit??????? we stan a versatile king your fave cld never  
Likes: 30K Dislikes: 4 Replies: 9  


Cat Bensley · 2 hours ago  
congrats to cabbage guy for getting his wish of losing to the new masked king  
Likes: 21K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 9  


GammaWarrior260 · 2 hours ago  
DROP THE COVER TRACKS MBC I KNOW YOU HAVE THEM  
Likes: 21K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 12  


Peter Yadav · 2 hours ago  
moonlit shot up to number 1 on the satosearch rankings yesterday and I was super confused b/c the media loves to sleep on WAVES but now I understand why  
Likes: 22.2K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 6  


*

← Chats (1)   
  
**1 March 2020** Aang (Downwards Black Arrow ≊ Down Arrow)  
I’m so excited!!!! I can’t wait to see what you perform sifu hotman!!!!   
17:52   
Aang for crying out loud I told you not to call me that  
17:53  
When did I teach you anything???  
17:53  
Aang (Downwards Black Arrow ≊ Down Arrow)  
Hotman-hyung!!  
17:53 No that’s worse  
17:53  
  
Katara (Water Wave )  
Zuko!!!!!! Oh my gosh is this what you meant by “you’ll see when the episode airs”?????? I’m so touched I could cry (Loudly Crying Face ) 20:20  
  
Ahaha… surprise?   
20:21  
Katara (Water Wave )  
I think you broke Sokka he’s been staring at the TV screen with his mouth open since the song ended  
20:52  
Is that a good thing??? I hope I did your song justice and that Sokka is okay   
20:53  
Sokka (Wolf Face )   
are you at home?   
20:54  
Yes…?  
20:54  
Sokka (Wolf Face )   
good. stay where you are katara and I are coming over to hug you RIGHT NOW   
20:54  
Aang (Downwards Black Arrow ≊ Down Arrow)  
GROUP HUG!!! I’LL GET TOPH AND COME TOO  
20:54  
Sokka (Wolf Face )   
no!! this is a sokka+katara+zuko hug ONLY. wait your turn  
20:54  
Suki (Crown)  
I’m stuck in the dorm! Hug him extra tight for me!  
20:54  
Sokka (Wolf Face )   
sure suki anything for you <3   
20:55  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-dah! Introducing Sokka and Katara's band! They're a brother-sister musical duo called WAVES. Some inspiration was taken from [Akdong Musician](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AKMU). The hangul characters "달빛" mean moonlight. According to Google, they're romanised as "dalbich". 
> 
> Amka is an oc I invented to fill out the cast of characters. If my research is accurate, her name means "one with a friendly spirit". 
> 
> Re. the name I chose for Cabbage Guy:  
> 
> 
> **Glossary**  
>  Ment/Menteu (멘트) - a Korean English term, shortened from "comment". It's used in Kpop events like concerts to indicate time allocated for the idols to speak to fans and get up to shenanigans on stage. King of Mask Singer has something similar in between performance/competition rounds where the competitors get to show off a personal skill or talent. This is usually used either to give hints about their identity or to obscure it. From memory, one comedian (I forget his name) tricked everyone into thinking he was a trained vocalist by learning to yodel. But then sometimes they just do something embarrassing (especially if you already know who they are) and you cringe and look away. What did Longshot do to become the target of @jetseyebrows's ire? ... :3c
> 
> Hyung/Hyeong (형) - an honorific used by a male speaker to refer to a male senior.
> 
> [Gag Concert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gag_Concert) is South Korea's longest running comedy show. Sadly, it aired its last episode on 26 June 2020, but I think there should still be clips on Youtube.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am THIS close to reworking the entire kakaotalk css from scratch just so i can figure out why it's playing with me like this
> 
> anw: 
> 
> me, [11.08.20 16:34]  
> i am here to cause shipping wars on purpose

← Chats (3)    
  
(Bee)  
tbf it HAS been 3 years   
17:52  
  
(Bee)   
a lot can happen in 3 years   
17:52  
  
I know we weren’t close, but I thought we were at least friends. Or colleagues.   
17:53  
  
I can’t believe he would lose my number like that  
17:53

*

WAVES - Moonlit (달빛) OFFICIAL MV  
2.7M views · 5 months ago  
WL ENT✔

*

AlexWasHere01 · 7 hours ago  
like this comment if the blue spirit brought you here  
Likes: 26.5K Dislikes: 231 Replies: 57

*

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

#zuko #koms #bluespirit

❤ 2 11:02 PM - March 4, 2020

*

The Blue Spirit becomes a phenomenon practically overnight.

At least, that’s how Sokka, who has taken it upon himself to be his unofficial PR manager, puts it. Zuko is far less inclined to look himself up online. He has learnt _that_ much, at least, if nothing else, from his years working in the entertainment industry.

There are entire forum threads, according to Sokka, who crashes in his living room on a regular basis, dedicated to puzzling out his identity. Thus far, the only things that anyone seems to agree on are his age (“You sound young, so they all think you’re a fourth-gen newbie. _This is hilarious to me_.”) and that he has some form of acting experience (“They say you have a dramatic aura. Buddy, I have to agree with them.”).

Well. They’re not _wrong_. 

“Moonlit’s been trending for the past three days,” Sokka continues, looking up from his phone with suspiciously bright eyes. It’s a look that he has seen before, usually directed at Suki or his sister, never really at _him_. The sight of it is… not unwelcome, but it fills the pit of Zuko’s stomach with wriggly uncomfortable warmth.

“It’s a good song,” he says, shifting nervously, “I’m just glad that I could help get it the attention it deserves.”

“Still, though. When I first wrote that song, I never thought that it’d ever get this much attention.” Some of the brightness in his eyes fades, but the nostalgic smile on his face lingers. “You know how Katara and I trained at WT for a bit? I wrote most of Moonlit while I was still a trainee there. It feels like so long ago now. We were young, and starry-eyed, and—oh, you know Hama?”

“She was a soloist?” Zuko tries, racking his brain. All it has to offer him are faint memories of a smoky voice, several old movie posters, and the stack of DVDs that his mother had tried to hide from him and his sister when they had still been small. “After that she went into… acting, right? She was in movies and stuff.” He pauses, as one particular film finally fades back into recollection. He and Azula had snuck it out of the stash and watched it one night, while their parents had been away at an awards show. They hadn’t been able to sleep for _weeks_. “Particularly, uh, horror movies.”

“That’s right—she of _Puppetmaster_ fame,” Sokka affirms. “When she was younger, she used to be Gran-Gran’s best friend. We heard all sorts of stories about her—Katara wanted to be just like her when we were growing up. When we started making our own music, someone from WT scouted us, and, hey, how could we go wrong with Hama’s old agency?”

“That,” Zuko tells him, “is a _terrible_ reason to sign a contract with an entertainment company.”

“Excuse me,” Sokka retorts, “Mr. ‘I Signed On With My Dad’s Company’, it’s not like you have a leg to stand on.”

“That is exactly the reason why I’m in a position to critique your bad life choices. Because I’ve already made them,” he fires back; like the mature adult he is, Sokka sticks his tongue out at him. “How did you two end up at Uncle’s company, anyway? I don’t think I ever asked.”

“A talent scout approached us when we were busking on the street. We made sure to do our research that time. But enough about _that_ ,” he says, waving his hand, “what _did_ you sing for your first defence stage? I promise I won’t tell a soul.”

“If Katara finds out I told you and not her, she’d kill me.”

“… Fair. That’s fair.”

*

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

hey @jetseyebrows are you still going to livetweet koms this week??

❤ 0 1:10 PM – March 6, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @fr33domf1ght3r_

i can if ppl want me to?? but unless one of the performers is somebody i know i’m only going to care about the defence stage next week tbh

❤ 1 2:41 PM - March 6, 2020

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @jetseyebrows

that’s fair ur valid 

❤ 0 2:50 PM – March 6, 2020

*

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

so while we’re all waiting for our blue spirit crumbs I feel like now is a good time to say that I found something incriminating about @jetseyebrows

❤ 0 10:10 PM – March 13, 2020

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @fr33d0mf1ght3r_

that is to say, I was going thru old chat logs and found their fanfic livejournal 

❤ 1 10:10 PM – March 13, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to @fr33domf1ght3r_

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (Fearful Face )(Fearful Face )(Fearful Face )(Face Screaming In Fear )(Face Screaming In Fear )(Face Screaming In Fear )

❤ 1 11:04 PM - March 13, 2020

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to @fr33domf1ght3r_

LINK LINK LINK

❤ 1 11:41 PM - March 13, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to @l0stturtleduck

TURTLEDUCK HOW COULD YOU STAB ME IN THE BACK LIKE THIS

❤ 1 11:41 PM - March 13, 2020

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to @jetseyebrows

my soul has not known peace since I lost the link to the house sharing fic when I changed laptops that’s how

❤ 0 11:43 PM - March 13, 2020

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to @jetseyebrows

i mean i don’t really read rpf anymore but that fic offered us softness and shelter in a time where everything was dark and harsh and grey

❤ 0 11:43 PM - March 13, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to @l0stturtleduck

you just liked reading about zuko getting cuddled

❤ 1 11:45 PM - March 13, 2020

[shocked pikachu meme]   
@l0stturtleduck

...

❤ 2 11:46 PM - March 13, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

everyone keeps tweeting me about house sharing fic now i hate this

❤ 1 6:45 PM - March 14, 2020

*

  
**C.C. (calderacanopy) wrote,**  
2017-11-08 21:03

#### come home to the hearth {jetko, h&c}

> Title: come home to the hearth
> 
> Fandom: Freedom Fighters (shut up I refuse to call them F(R)IGHT idc what bss says), Zuko
> 
> Pairing: Jet/Zuko
> 
> Summary: Listen. This is just an excuse to write Zuko getting the hugs he DESERVES.
> 
> (Pretend, for the purposes of this fic, that Jet has moved out of the dorm. I know he said that if he moved out then Duke would most likely burn down the building unsupervised, but pretend, okay?)

**[READ MORE]**

**❤ 10.1K | 8,7529 shares | 13,470 comments**

*

_Reproduced below is an excerpt of **come home to the hearth** by **calderacanopy** :_

It was raining when the doorbell rang.

No; to be precise, it was pouring. It had, in fact, been pouring all day—long and heavily enough that Jet had been unspeakably grateful that they hadn’t had any schedules planned. Bad enough that the roads would be slippery, but in the middle of a particularly bleak and frigid winter, he relished any and all opportunities to stay warm, dry and indoors.

As he struggled out of the warmth of his bed and shuffled sleepily to the intercom, he couldn’t help but wonder who it could have been.

He never would have expected to see Zuko standing on his doorstep, bedraggled, miserable and soaking wet. 

His inky black hair (it was strange to see it so short when he was used to the long familiar ponytail that Zuko’s stylists had preferred ever since his debut), was plastered to his scalp, rainwater still dripping off the ends of it and sliding down his pale face.

He looked—almost exactly the same, even down to the bags under his eyes that were usually concealed with the careful application of make-up, if Jet ignored the scar.

“Jet?” he asked, and even across the staticky intercom Jet could tell that his voice was trembling, “I’m sorry, I know it’s late—”

“Holy fucking _shit_ ,” Jet muttered, and went to answer the door.

Standing in a steadily growing puddle and blinking owlishly, Zuko looked no less pitiful in real life. He had lost weight since he had seen him last, almost all of it muscle. His face was gaunt, and Jet could almost swear that he could see the beginning of ribs protruding beneath his sodden grey sweater.

“Are you _crazy_?” he demanded. “It’s freezing outside!”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t know where else to go.”

“No need to apologise for _that_ ,” Jet frowned, ushering him into the relative warmth of his apartment. “Get in the shower. You can use the towel that’s already out, I’ll bring you a change of clothes.”

Zuko didn’t put up a fight, following his directions and stepping into the bathroom without so much as a grumble. As the door closed behind him and the full weight of the situation settled upon him, Jet couldn’t help but question everything that had just happened. He hadn’t seen Zuko Higuchi in _months_. What was he doing in his apartment?

Autopilot, at least, took over at some point, and he found himself digging around in his closet to find a set of clothes that would fit his unexpected guest. (He even took the liberty of digging out a new set of underwear, because the thought of Zuko wearing his old boxers—nope, now’s not the time for that.) Eventually he settled on a tee-shirt and his cleanest pair of sweatpants and left them on the floor outside the bathroom. 

Zuko emerged from the shower (still soaked but with considerably more colour in his cheeks) around the time that Jet had set a saucepan full of milk for hot chocolate on the stove. He shuffled over to the dining table, cautiously pulling out a chair, and sat down, half-perched and watching him from the corner of his eye as if expecting to be chased away any second. His hair was still damp, curling slightly where it dried, the odd droplet of water dripping silently into the towel that hung limply around his neck.

“Don’t look at me like I kicked your cat,” he said, just to see him startle, “I won’t kick you out. You’re staying put, at least until the rain stops, so dry your hair before you catch a cold.” 

“Oh,” said Zuko, “right.”

And he started running the soft pink towel through his hair.

Jet busied himself with measuring out scoops of cocoa powder and sugar, dividing them equally into two clean mugs (never before had he been so grateful to SB for buying out what had felt, at the time, like an entire shelf worth of the things). Even with Zuko’s presence at the table, his apartment was as quiet and lonely as ever.

“How’d you know where I live?” he asked, setting a mug of hot chocolate on the table between them.

“The invitation,” said Zuko, one golden eye peeking out from the towel still on his head. “To your housewarming party, I mean.”

“Oh.” Heat coiled unexpectedly in the pit of his stomach. That had been—months ago, now. A little over a year, if he stopped to think about—oh. Right. That made sense. “I wasn’t sure that you’d received it.”

“I did,” said Zuko, retreating into the towel. “But—I couldn’t make it. I’m sorry.”

“… I didn’t think that you’d keep it.”

“I kept it,” said Zuko.

And if it sounded like a million other things at the same time, like all the words they had left unsaid between them over the long years of their acquaintanceship, Jet said nothing. It was what they were used to.

He didn’t need words to understand what Zuko was trying to say.

*

← Chats (3)    
  
(Bee)   
look, it’s not like you’re entirely innocent okay  
18:12  
  
(Bee)   
did you even try to reach out to him?  
18:12  
  
(Bee)   
i don’t think you’ve really spoken to zuko about anything since filming ended  
18:12  
  
(Bee)   
texting him a few times after seeing him in the news doesn’t count  
18:13  
  
… You’re right.  
18:24  
  
I’m sorry Bee. I’m just frustrated and taking it out on you.  
18:24  
  
(Bee)   
it’s okay jet  
18:26  
  
(Bee)   
i’ve gotten used to your assholey ways after all these years of working with you  
18:26  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Vee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamslytherlocked/pseuds/iamslytherlocked) contributed the art for the Moonlit MV thumbnail and WL Entertainment's logo. You'll see more of her artwork as we progress through the fic and I'm super excited to reach that stage!!! ngl 75% of the reason I'm driven to write for this au is to use her artwork b/c it's LOVELY 
> 
> For the livejournal post format, I referred to [aerynevenstar's tutorial](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15664164). 
> 
> I, too, had a kpop rpf phase.... I was, as the kids these day say, "going thru it" and the fics were mostly wish fulfillment/how I coped with my depression. They're never seeing the light of day. Please don't ask me about them. 
> 
> If Jet seems ooc in jetseyebrows's/calderacanopy's fic, good! His on-stage and off-stage personas are different and I hope I managed to get that across in this chapter. (I would like all of you to be informed that I am going FULL META with this fanfiction and no one can stop me.)


	9. Chapter 9

f(r)ight night  
@smellersh0tstan

i went down the rabbithole of looking up jetko rpf and saw things i wish i could unsee

❤ 0 10:02 PM - March 14, 2020

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @smellersh0tstan

milkmaid au?

❤ 1 10:10 PM – March 14, 2020

f(r)ight night  
@smellersh0tstan

replying to  @fr33d0mf1ght3r_

milkmaid au

❤ 1 10:12 PM - March 14, 2020

*

As fun as performing on stage again is, the excitement of being on _King of Mask Singer_ quickly begins to wear off. It wouldn’t be so bad if he actually got to do something, but the Masked King just… sits on the throne, until it’s time for a defence stage, and then he goes back to the throne again until the next one. It gives him nothing but time to worry about how the audience is going to take it when he finally takes off his mask. Even the mask itself is starting to feel claustrophobic.

He passes two entire filming sessions just sitting up on the dais and fretting until it’s time for him to go down and sing. Jee takes a page from Uncle Iroh’s book and has a thermos of tea waiting in the dressing room before and after filming starts, and he’s eternally grateful to the man, but even his Uncle’s favourite ginger-ginseng blend does little for the knot of queasy nerves in his stomach.

It would have been better, he thinks, if he _had_ lost to Amka at the third round, and if it had been Crescent Bay who had been crowned instead of him. He could have had his moment in the limelight and gone home content and satisfied. Now he’s stuck here.

He should have just listened to Sokka and made a Twitter account.

*

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

ngl every time I watch koms I always wonder how they come up with all these masks and names??? shout out to the designer for somehow making a piece of jerky and a bag of fire flakes work

❤ 0 8:17 PM – March 15, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

perhaps it is time to start watching mubank again… i didn’t recognise ANYONE who got unmasked today…

❤ 15 8:35 PM – March 15, 2020

*

[KOMS] Blue Spirit – Music of the Night [20200315]  
28k views · 5 hours ago  
MBCentertainment✔

*

Li Kexin · 3 hours ago  
Is this a hint??? Is he a musical actor????  
Likes: 30 Dislikes: 4 Replies: 9  


GammaWarrior260 · 2 hours ago  
me: I don’t understand poto there is nth appealing about a shady man who wears a mask and lives in the basement of an opera house  
me after hearing this cover: fuck  
Likes: 21K Dislikes: 15K Replies: 92  


Jung Songhwa · 1 hour ago  
Rip ikem I think he got his ass kicked by a musical hoobae  
Likes: 45 Dislikes: 0 Replies: 0  


Myeolchi98 · 2 hours ago  
we really be out here grasping for any and all straws that might be hints towards the blue spirit’s identity  
watch us pore over all the musical actors active in the industry only for blue to have been a member of his high sch drama club or smth  
Likes: 3.7K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 42  


*

“So,” he asks, conversationally, “how does it feel to return to the site of your greatest shame?”

Longshot turns and fixes him with the darkest scowl he’s seen yet.

“Lay off him, Jet,” Smellerbee interjects, “you _know_ he doesn’t like to talk about it.”

“Okay, okay,” Jet gives in. “I was only preparing him for the possibility that Gura- _sunbae_ might ask, anyway.”

Longshot groans, long and heartfelt, and drops his head into his hands.

“Yeah,” Jet tells him, patting his back, “I don’t know why Joo Dee signed you up for this either.”

It’s a lie; of course he knows. It’s because the three of them—him, Longshot and SB—are the most popular members of the band, and BSS management are calculative, manipulative fucks. If the higher-ups actually cared to learn anything about them beyond what fits neatly into their little tables and charts, then they’d know better. But they don’t, and they never do. He does what he can as leader (hah—like the title actually has power) to shield the rest of the group, but there’s only so much he can do. It’s not like F(R)IGHT (god, he hates that name, at least their old name sounded cool) has any standing to speak of, within the company. If they were the Kyoshi Warriors, if Jet were Suki, things might be different, but they aren’t.

Sometimes, Jet wants nothing more than to take his members, wrap all of them up in a blanket, and leave the company.

(But where would they go?)

He tears himself away from the dark, festering route his thoughts have taken in time to notice that Smellerbee has changed the topic, gently redirecting the conversation to other things.

“Who knows?” Smellerbee teases, turning to smile impishly at him. “Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to watch the Blue Spirit be unmasked, and Jet will finally get over this obsession with his identity.”

*

They do not see the Blue Spirit unmasked.

They do, however, witness something else.

*

Oh no. Oh _no_. What’s _Jet_ doing here? What are any of the Freedom Fighters doing here, actually?

A bead of sweat trickles down Zuko’s forehead—thankfully missing his eyes—as he stares mutely across the studio. Jet is staring at him. Again. He looks up at the king’s dais whenever there isn’t somebody actively talking or performing on stage, it seems.

This is terrible. It’s too late to change what he’s going to perform for his defence stage. They’re going to know who he is the moment the music starts playing. And, okay, he was hoping to get eliminated today, but not like this! Not with people who actually know him in the audience!

The tiny part of Zuko that still retains even a modicum of hope for what the future holds shrivels up and dies.

*

❤ Jet (F(R)IGHT) liked 

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

#zuko #koms #bluespirit

❤ 6 11:02 PM - March 4, 2020

  


[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

did jet just fucking like my tweet 

❤ 5K 11:02 PM - March 17, 2020

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout-out to the person who came up with milkmaid au. You know who you are. 
> 
> The Freedom Fighters/F(R)IGHT are the unloved stepchild child of BSS Entertainment and Jet would fight everyone involved in managing the company if he could. I definitely envision BSS as being more conservative and controlling, as far as agencies go, but they're still not as bad as FN under CEO Ozai. Probably. ~~They're shitty in different ways.~~
> 
> Also? If someone could just invent time travel so I can go back to when I decided that drawing the Blue Spirit over and over again for Youtube thumbnails was a good idea and punch myself in the face? Thanks xoxo
> 
>  **Glossary**  
> [Kim Gura](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Gu-ra) is one of the hosts/emcees on _King of Mask Singer_. He's known for his sharp tongue and can be a little... harsh at times (just google his name and you'll see lol), especially on _Radio Star_ , which is the show most people know him from.


	10. Chapter 10

← Chats   
  
Help  
20:02  
I can’t take it anymore  
20:02  
I tried to throw the match but they still voted for me what am I doing wrong  
20:03  
How do I get off this hell ride  
20:03  
I want to gooooooooooo (Loudly Crying Face )(Loudly Crying Face )(Loudly Crying Face )  
20:03  
  
Suki (Crown)  
Don’t worry I gotchu (Ok Hand Sign ≊ Ok Hand)  
20:04  
Sokka (Wolf Face )   
suki?????????? what r u not telling us?????  
20:31  
Suki (Crown)  
(Smiling Face With Halo)  
20:32  
  


*

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

okay but can we go back to how jet somehow 1) found my tweet and 2) liked it????? the fuck 

❤ 2.4K 1:02 PM - March 18, 2020

Tired of Drama TM   
@maidaymaiday

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

maybe he secretly follows you on another account and was signed in to the wrong one (Eyes)

❤ 19 1:04 PM - March 18, 2020

(Eggplant)(Fire)   
@wangfire

replying to  @maidaymaiday

haha what no way that's crazy talk 

❤ 2 1:05 PM - March 18, 2020

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @wangfire

yeah I have to agree with @wangfire here that’s edging too close into 2010era rpf for my liking rjgniungv

❤ 2.4K 1:10 PM - March 18, 2020

*

[KOMS] Blue Spirit – Like It (좋니) [20200329]  
48k views · 4 hours ago  
MBCentertainment✔

*

Cat Bensley · 2 hours ago  
the pure emotion with which he sang the chorus (Pleading Face) who broke his heart I just wanna talk  
Likes: 42 Dislikes: 0 Replies: 89  


Riot183 · 2 hours ago  
where tf are the cover tracks I wld pay good money for a blue spirit album  
Likes: 69 Dislikes: 0 Replies: 2  


*

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

ngl i'm super excited for tonight's koms episode and it's not just for the blue spirit crumbs 

❤ 5K 5:25 PM - April 12, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

jet sb and longshot are going to be on the panel!!!! i haven't seen them on a variety show in FOREVER 

❤ 5K 5:25 PM - April 12, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

gdi bss mgmt do your job

❤ 4K 5:25 PM - April 12, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

okay this week we have: snowskin mooncake, ice palace, lionturtle and ????

❤ 0 6:45 PM - April 12, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

i cldn't catch the name of the last contestnat in time i'll add it later. the mask looks like a monkey??

❤ 0 6:45 PM - April 12, 2020

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @jetseyebrows

she's.... called lemur....

❤ 1 6:46 PM - April 12, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

THAT MASK IS SUPPOSED TO BE A LEMUR????

❤ 5 6:47 PM - April 12, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

poor longshot :(( they keep bringing up the Embarrassment TM... leave him alone...

❤ 9 7:05 PM - April 12, 2020

Tired of Drama TM   
@maidaymaiday

replying to  @jetseyebrows

i thought you swore never to forgive him for the Embarrassment TM?

❤ 19 7:07 PM - April 12, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @maidaymaiday

he's an embarrassment but he's OUR embarrassment

❤ 1.2K 7:08 PM - April 12, 2020

[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @jetseyebrows

someone tell kim gura to turn off his radio star brain!!

❤ 1 7:08 PM - April 12, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

jet: i've been following some of the episodes at home too so i have to say it's pretty exciting to get to watch the blue spirit perform live  
me: 

❤ 9 7:41 PM - April 12, 2020

[shocked pikachu meme]   
@l0stturtleduck

replying to  @jetseyebrows

h-he what

❤ 1 7:41 PM - April 12, 2020

Tired of Drama TM   
@maidaymaiday

replying to  @jetseyebrows

we found it... the reason why he liked @l0stturtleduck's tweet...

❤ 1 7:47 PM - April 12, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

idk how this happened but lemur made it to the finals. i still don't think that mask looks like a lemur???

❤ 9 8:15 PM - April 12, 2020

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @jetseyebrows

thought for sure that snowskin mooncake would beat her nobody in this audience has taste

❤ 8 8:16 PM - April 12, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @fr33d0mf1ght3r_

she sings one sad ballad song and the wholeass studio is putty in her hands :/ 

❤ 1 8:18 PM - April 12, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

FINALLY BLUE SPIRIT TIME  
jet wished him luck how cute (Pleading Face)

❤ 9 8:20 PM - April 12, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

WAIT 

❤ 9 8:21 PM - April 12, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

HOLD THE FUCK UP 

❤ 8 8:21 PM - April 12, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @jetseyebrows

FIREWORKS?!?!?!!?!?!!!!!!

❤ 8K 8:21 PM - April 12, 2020

  


stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

HE'S SINGING THEIR DEBTU SONG?!?!?!?!?!?! 

❤ 19K 8:21 PM - April 12, 2020

(Eggplant)(Fire)   
@wangfire

replying to  @jetseyebrows

debtu

❤ 27 8:25 PM - April 12, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @wangfire

shut

❤ 7 8:26 PM - April 12, 2020

  


tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

i heard the opening chords of fireworks and screamed and my sister came running in b/c she thought i was being murdered 

❤ 142 8:22 PM - April 12, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @fr33d0mf1ght3r_

the same sister who almost broke down your door when you cried b/c you got the cursed longshot photocard?

❤ 8 8:22 PM - April 12, 2020

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @jetseyebrows

yes i only have one sister thank you for remembering

❤ 8 8:22 PM - April 12, 2020

  


[shocked pikachu meme]  
@l0stturtleduck

rvhbvybvdjr jet #koms

❤ 2.1K 8:25 PM - April 12, 2020

stream way back to gaipan  
@jetseyebrows

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

eijfgurihguirh the sUBS IN THE CORNER  
the editing team DID THAT ON PURPOSE #lightuptheskylikejetsface

❤ 1K 8:26 PM - April 12, 2020

tiny gremlin queen  
@fr33d0mf1ght3r_

replying to  @l0stturtleduck

help him he's feeling 

❤ 2.4K 8:26 PM - April 12, 2020

*

[KOMS] Blue Spirit – FIREWORKS [20200412]  
48k views · 5 hours ago  
MBCentertainment✔

*

Li Kexin · 3 hours ago  
HEJGHRUHGUHRG UHEW HELP  
HE DID THE DANCE BREAK  
Likes: 9.5K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 89  


xXDukeItOutXx · 2 hours ago  
[**1:33**](https://i.imgur.com/Q6ccYwE.png) same @ jet  
Likes: 3.3K Dislikes: 0 Replies: 89  


Myeolchi98 · 3 hours ago  
could the blue spirit be a freesia?? discuss  
Likes: 2.5K Dislikes: 434 Replies: 62  


*

← Chats   
**12 April 2020** Toph (Badger)  
Imagine being sparky and wholeheartedly believing that you’ll be voted off the show by performing a boy group song. A freedom fighters song no less  
21:02  
Toph (Badger)  
Snoozles did he dance  
21:02  
  
Sokka (Wolf Face)   
yeah he danced  
21:03  
  
Sokka (Wolf Face)   
excellently might I add (Eyes)(Eyes)  
21:03  
  
Toph (Badger)  
Dumbass  
21:04  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave up and re-worked the Kakaotalk CSS into something that wouldn't make me want to cry :') There was a lot of wrangling and cursing involved. Suffice to say that I'm adding CSS to my resume. :'))
> 
> To listen to Like It by Yoon Jongshin, see [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRxleQpMjxA)! It's a break-up song, pretty standard, but if anyone wants to take a closer look at the lyrics... ;) (Also, see [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4XZ_4DQg6Q) for a cover by Super Junior's Kyuhyun, just because I like his voice.)
> 
> I see Freedom Fighters as an early-2nd gen group that debuted when most of their members were young tinies (fun fact: Taemin from SHINee debuted when he was like 13??? BoA was scouted when she was like 11 or smth and she debuted at 14. The talent and hard work... if it were me I would simply die). For a general vibe of what i imagine Fireworks by Freedom Fighters to sound like, see the following: [Mirotic by DBSK](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtJS32n6LNQ) and [Twins (Knock Out) by Super Junior](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrazFGFRnhM). The lyrics in the corner of the "screencap" with Jet's face read "불꽃 놀이처럼 / LIGHT UP THE SKY" and pretty much just mean "like fireworks, light up the sky". I... got them from google translate so if anyone is fluent in Korean please correct me if I'm wrong :((


End file.
